Safety device



A. PANALLE ET AL SAFETY DEVICE Aug. 14, 1928. 1,681,130

Filed June 29,. 1927 2 sheets-sheet l 3 Jr i ATTORNEYS.

Aug. 14, 1928. 1,681,130

A. PANALLE ET AL SAFETY DEVICE Filedaune 29,' 1927 2 snee1ssnee1 2 Patented Aug. 1 4, 1928.

UNITED is narrar orare .enamora Paauw ams- 1.: imams; or WASHINGTON; rsrmcr or coronaria.

shrm DEVICE.

applicati@ md June 29,

i provision of asa-fety devicefor the purpose aboveA indicated that is self inflating and deflating.. l

The invention further contemplates the provision of a device that is aty once. adapted to-'besecured or attached tothefperson practicing the invention and is al'soad-apted to be collapsed when removed from thel body of thefwearer.

The invention'` furthencontemplates the provision of a safety attachment that may be secured in a removable manner to a bat-hing suit and when so secured fear of casual collapse is eliminated due to the fact that When the attachment is properly arranged on the body of the wearer deflation of the device is impossible.

Other advantageous characteristics and features of our invention will be `fully undei-stood from the following description and claims when the same are read in connec- 1 tion with the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of our novel safety device.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken in the plane indicated by the line 2 2 of Figure l and looking in the direction of the arrows. K

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken in the plane indicated by the line 3 3 of Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the device as collapsed.

Figure 5 is a sectional view of a portion of the device and showing the manner in which the ribs are secured in the walls of our improvement.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the views of the drawings. Our device is preferably formed of balloon cloth, although any water and air proof material may be used and although We have illustrated the device of the shape shown in Figure 1 it may be of any shape compatible with its purpose. 1

The device comprises a. top wall 1 and a lower wall 2, and the said walls are ce- 1927. semi No.1 s022340;

mented or otherwise secured. to each other to form the folded piper edge 3c The said Walls are further folded and glued at .their ends 4 and 5. Arranged in the end walls 4 and` 5 if' preferred are snap' fasteners 6A through the medium of which the devicey may be. securedl to a1 bathing suit provided with complimentary* fastening devices;

AitA this poi-nt" we would distinctly havey it un-l derstood that no` parti-cular-v formi of fastenj ing` means are to beu considered a' part of thisI applicationI as im` theffuture' practice` of this device any'vmeansvmay be used. to`

secure our improvements to the bodyv of the wearer.

Arranged to run cross-wiserwith respect to.- thelength of" our device and"` Ainteriorly of the top wall 1 and lower wall 2 are spring bands 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16. These spring bands are of an extremely light material preferably of thin sheet steel and are adapted to hold the top wall and bottom Wall away from each other. As clearly shown in Figure 27 for example the rib 10 illustrated is of a continuous piece of material and the said bands or ribs 1() are secured in the walls 1 and 2 by means ,of strips 17 and 18. The strips 17 are arof the ribs and at the contact point they are cemented to the ribs. This construction may be duplicated interiorly of the edges 3 of` the device. It will be manifest that the strips 17 and 18 will when the device is collapsed accommodate themselves to permit positioning of the device to that shown in Figure 4. During the collapsing position the ends 3 will roll into the posltion between the ribs as indicated by 19 in Figure 4.

Secured in one end of the device is an air valve 7 and when the device is opened after the manner of an accordian air will rush into the interior of the device to inflate same. The valve is turned so as to close the .passage through the stem thereof and the device will therefore be retained in inflated condition. To deflate the device it is merely necessary to open the valve and push the walls 4 and 5 toward each other. Manifestly blowing into the valve to inflate the device is not necessary.

Although we have illustrated our invention in the configuration shown we are not to be confined to any particular shape or size of the device and the material used will be any material compatible with the purpose and the ribs or bands may be formed ol any material and of any shape that may suggest itself in the future practice of the invention.

The device, moreover, may be worn on the body with or Without abathing suit or with or without clothing and although its primary use is for enabling or assisting a person to learn to swim it is also well adapted as a life preserver and of course straps or any other fastening means may be employed to secure the device to the body of the wearer.

x What We claim l. A safety device comprising a body portion formed of two pieces of Water and air tight material secured to each other, metallic ribs adapted to rest in the body portion, strips arranged interiorly of the body portion and extending longitudinally with respect thereto and other strips secured on the first strips in such a manner that the ribs are secured between the strips at the point of contact of the ribs with respect to the strips.

2. A safety device comprising a body portion having an upper and lower wall secured to each other, a valve arranged in one of the Walls, bendable ribs arranged interiorly of the walls and means for securing the bendable ribs in the walls and comprising longitudinally arranged strips some of which arc secured `to the walls and the others of which are secured on the first named strips whereby a loop is formed to engage a portion of the bendable ribs.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

ANATOLE PANALLE. SAM L. NEEDLE. 

